Industry Spotlight: Rob Jafek - Boomerang Capital

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

Robert Jafek - Boomerang Capital

Robert Jafek – Principal. Rob has been involved in all phases of Boomerang’s development since its inception and oversees it operations. He previously held various principal investing roles including Head of International Trading for Nicholas Applegate Capital Management and Analyst at Tiger Management. He has founded and managed two alternative investment firms: Plumeria Advisors and Torrey Pines Capital Management. He started his career as an investment banking Analyst at Morgan Stanley. He received a BA in Finance from The University of Utah and a Masters in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from HEC Paris. He also teaches business and finance at the university level, with his current position being an adjunct professor at UC Berkeley Law.

Robert Jafek, Boomerang Capital

Q: What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

There are a lot of things about my days that are subject to change, including what town I’m in. But the similarities are that I’m a consistent early riser, work a pretty long day, and try to sneak in some exercise at some point. I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I enjoy reading. To make my days productive, I’m afraid my process is not too interesting – I use a to-do list, which I try to prioritize, and a calendar. The calendar is electronic, but my to-do list is mostly hand-written, frequently with an old school fountain pen.

Q: What has been one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career?

My biggest challenges have been with partners or key employees that were bad actors. Their actions impacted employees and clients, and I had to clean it up. While clients never ended up with poor investment results, some employees lost jobs and bore the brunt of those short-sighted and selfish choices.

Q: What do you work toward in your free time?

Staying connected with family. They are the most important to me, but unfortunately get less attention and care at times. I also try to get in some exercise, and particularly enjoy biking. I’m also working on my SCUBA divemaster, and I’d love to figure out a way to do a PhD.

Q: Tell us about a person or organization that you admire. Why do you think they have made an important impact?

I admire organizations less per se, and more just regular everyday people in their regular everyday environments that somehow find opportunities to make someone else’s life a bit better. I am particularly inspired by people who reach outside their comfort zones and just do kind things. They remind me that it’s never really ‘convenient’ to be considerate or charitable, and that even small actions frequently make a difference. A few weeks ago, I was in a subway in a part of town that clearly wasn’t my home turf. I was wearing a suit in a crowd of hoodies. I was also pretty lost and must have looked it. A young man came up to me, and I thought to myself that this might end very badly. Instead, he asked me where I was going and went out of his way to take me to the right platform and get me on the train I needed. A small thing, perhaps, for the young man, but it made an impact on me. He had all the reason in the world to ignore me, but chose to spend his time helping me get sorted out instead. On a related note, I also frequent the subreddit ‘humans being bros’. https://www.reddit. com/r/HumansBeingBros/

Q: What advice would you give your younger self?

Get some more balance in your life.

Q: What is something that most people don’t know about you?

One thing that people might find surprising is that I really like to laugh and have a good time. This doesn’t come as a surprise to my family, who think I’m a goof. They know I can be serious and get things done, but they end up rolling their eyes at me a lot.

Q: How do you define success?

Success, to me, really isn’t about me. I want to make a positive impact in the lives of others, whether they are borrowers, investors, students, or just someone I run across in the street.

Q: What is a recent trend in the private lending industry that excites you?

Millennials. Millennials will make some interesting contributions to society, and they will leave their fingerprints all over it. But for some reason everyone thinks they are totally different from everyone else, almost like an entirely different species. The truth is that they are just younger, and the one thing that is for sure is that they will age. As they get older they will buy houses and invest for the future, like all the generations before them. But they aren’t going to want the same houses as their parents, which is going to be incredibly positive for private lending, especially rehabing.

Q: What is your favorite quote?

It’s a bit of a tie between two. Either:

Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.

-Dwight D. Eisenhower

Or what my wife tells our kids when they are running out the door, which is:

Be good and have fun, just remember which comes first.

Q: If you were stranded on a desert island with access to one book, one song, and one movie, what would they be?

For a book, I’ll go with The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham. The epigraph there I particularly like, which is apparently taken from Hindu writings: “The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard.” For music, I’d go with just about anything by Bach, or maybe Rise Against, whose Ghost Note Symphonies album I particularly like.

And for a movie, I’d skip that altogether and just look forward to watching the sun rise and set every day. The views from a desert island would be pretty fantastic.

CONTACT:

Robert Jafek: rob@boomerangcapital.com

https://boomerangcapital.com/